


Sustain and Purify

by jeejaschocolate



Series: It Takes Five [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aphrodisiacs, Blow Jobs, Canon Divergence, Cock Worship, Demons, Established OT4, Explicit Sexual Content, Fivesome, Hand Jobs, Healing Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Long porn is long, M/M, MT!Prompto, Magical Bond, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Porn With Plot, conflicted!Ardyn, humanized villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:12:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/pseuds/jeejaschocolate
Summary: (Written for a prompt on the kinkmeme)It turns out there is a way to purify the Scourge without anyone needing to die. Ignis finds an…unconventional…method that worked in the past.Now, all they have to do is kidnap Ardyn. Or, convince him to stay while they subject his body to as much pleasure as physically possible. And then some.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt fill! This one is super long. (Hopefully not too long...but I have a huge soft spot for long pron.) Also, I had never written a fivesome before. That was...interesting.
> 
> This was the prompt: "Sometime before everything goes down at Altissia, the bros find out about Ardyn's whole deal and get proactive. They capture Ardyn (he's not hard to lure into a trap, since he just shows up whenever he feels like it) and do some research about how to deal with the whole Scourge-in-a-man issue. What they find is it might be possible to purify the Scourge with a sustained application of intensely positive physical and emotional sensation. That is, good sex, and a lot of it. This is going to have to be a team effort. Ardyn is willing to give it a shot mostly because he finds the whole idea hilarious. 
> 
> \+ Ignis does a lot of meticulous planning  
> ++ They figure out later that Ardyn could have easily escaped the whole time; he just stuck around because he was curious where they were going with this whole capture thing  
> +++ Ardyn has lots of suggestions and a lot of fun - until it starts to work, and he realizes that this feeling he hasn't had in centuries is hope  
> ++++ "Well, we just saved the world in a way we can absolutely never tell the history books about." "
> 
> Basically this version of Ardyn fits in very nicely with the one from other fic, "Not Here." It's the same headcanon (Ardyn as a "sin eater") but the fics are not (necessarily) connected. But this was written because we need more humanized!Ardyn in the world. And I had such a mighty need to fill this, as it mashes all my buttons.
> 
> Enjoy!

“So, what’s it say about side effects?”

“Nothing that I can see. At least not for the ones performing the ritual.”

“Jeez, can you stop calling it a ritual already? It makes this sound like we’re doing something…religious…or, like, seriously fucked up. I don’t know.” 

“For the record, I am not down for some kind of daemonic, hell-raising sex orgy. Just saying. In case anyone was asking.” 

Four young men sat around a camp fire. The remnants of their dinner were scattered on the ground here and there, dirty plates and used cups. Any onlookers would assume they were discussing some run-of-the-mill matter. Perhaps where to go fishing the next day, or how to go about their next hunt.

But actually they were talking about the fate of the world itself. And even this was not exactly a new topic for them. Except this time, they had come across an actual solution. Just…not one any of them expected. 

“Are you sure He said ‘scourge,’ Noct?” Gladiolus rubbed his hand over his chin and looked at the ground. 

Noctis had reiterated this about a hundred times already, but he would keep doing it. The words were branded in his own mind, after all, ringing and ringing. No escaping them.

“He said that Ardyn was the Accursed. That he was afflicted with the Starscourge itself and that means…yeah, daemons inside of him and everything.” Noctis swallowed hard, his throat bobbing a bit as his face turned into a scowl.

The whole idea did not sit well with the prince. Not the solution part—he had not wrapped his brain around that yet—but rather…the thought that something like that could happen. That a person—a king, no less, someone of the Lucis line—could be afflicted with this sickness. Daemons living inside of you? What kind of hell was that?

Noctis could not helping putting himself in Ardyn’s place.

They had just finished their mission acquiring Ramuh’s favor. Ramuh, a sort of grandfatherly, protective type Archaeon, was much more talkative than Titan had been. As soon as Noctis communed with him in that cave, Ramuh entered Noctis’s mind and told him everything. About how the Chancellor of Izunia was not really working for Niflheim, that he was not even really a man anymore. About the Starscourge and about how Noctis would need to purify the Accursed (that meant Ardyn) to save the world. Ramuh even showed Noctis visions from Ardyn’s own life, images of how Ardyn used to be the healer king. How, after his fall from grace, he was chained publicly and ridiculed. Whipped, humiliated, cast out of society. 

They would do that to a king…? Noctis thought. Seeing those images from Ramuh made him feel shaky, a little sick to his stomach. Ardyn had borne the weight of all their sins—literally absorbing daemons into his own body—and then when those sins shone in the light, they just…threw him away.

“Are you alright, Highness?” 

Noctis flinched and looked up at Ignis defensively. “…Yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly. 

He wasn’t. They could all see that. The fire crackled as they sat in heavy silence around each other.  

Prompto moved closer to Noctis. “We don't have to do this, if it’s bothering you. We could…do what Ramuh said, I guess…see how that works…” He brought his hand up and rubbed between Noctis’s shoulder blades, trying to be consoling. 

Of course, Prompto’s bright warmth always made Noctis feel better. He dropped his head onto Prompto’s shoulder, immensely relieved to be surrounded by his friends (or…boyfriends? They were all in a sort of relationship at this point. Four guys, one connection. It worked. Better than it should have, probably). 

“It’s not…that,” Noctis answered, waving vaguely in Ignis’s direction to indicate the solution their tactician had found. “It’s…the whole other thing. Like…would people really…do that to someone? To their king? Just let him…rot, basically?” 

Noctis squeezed his eyes closed as he said that word. Rot. It described the situation too well. 

At that, the other three understood right away what Noctis was feeling. Ignis and Gladiolus moved in quickly, flanking Noctis and Prompto on either side. 

Ignis pressed a soft kiss to Noctis’s temple. Automatically trying to soothe him. “It seems society was a bit more…archaic back then,” the advisor said quietly. “This was two millennia ago, after all.” 

Noctis raised his head. His weary blue eyes met Ignis’s gaze for a moment. Then he looked back down at the ground. “Still…” 

Gladiolus took a deep breath. The Shield could see where this was going. He glanced at Prompto and the two shared a look. Apparently they both knew, judging by the soft glimmer in Prompto’s eyes.

“Why don't you tell us what you want to do, Noct.” Gladiolus planted a heavy hand on his liege’s knee. “What do you think about all this, really? Whatever you decide, we’ll do. Okay?”

“Agreed,” Ignis added.

“Yup,” Prompto followed. “This kind of thing…it’s gotta be your call, buddy.” 

The blonde’s voice sounded already convinced. That conviction reached Noctis and made him feel strong. If his friends would follow him, this decision had to be right. They wouldn’t follow him down a wrong path, he knew. If the three of them were here encouraging him, then…Noctis knew this couldn’t be an all around terrible idea. 

As long as he had them, he would be alright. Noctis truly believed that these guys would never do _that_ to him—would never cast him out and scorn his name, the way the world had done to Ardyn. No matter what crazy shit went down. 

And knowing that was more reassuring than Noctis would probably ever admit. 

So, the fledgling king nodded his head. Jaw set, mind made up. 

“Let’s do it.” 

 _________________________________________

Ardyn sat in his car, staring out at the wide sea before him. He was on the road that led to Caem. A strangely untravelled highway, with beautiful wildlife on all sides. Perhaps it was deserted because the Daurell Cavern lingered a little further up the path. The Chancellor could feel the throbbing pulse of the daemons that dwelled in the dark there, calling out to him. Like a constant tugging on the edge of his consciousness. Normally, Ardyn did not like to be so near a dungeon for this reason—the ceaseless grunting and cackling of the daemons made it hard to concentrate. But it was fun sometimes. To feel how his presence stirred up the daemons. Like shaking a jar of bees and then watching the poor creatures sting each other to death in confused self-defense. 

That kind of fun.

However, that was not the reason Ardyn was here at the moment. He was thinking about the coming events. It was high time for his little group of ragtag royalty to make their way to Altissia. And from there, life as they knew it would change forever. Quite exciting, all things considered. Even his human self was brimming with glee, let alone the daemons, who were chomping at the bit inside of him. Begging for time to pass quicker. 

_Make it happen. Faster, faster!_ (Their collective will, an omnipresent voice in his head, was rather noisy these days.)

Ardyn chuckled and urged them to quiet down. He didn’t have much control over their will, but he liked to commune with them anyway. Instead of feeling like he was just talking to himself.

But seriously. The gently lapping waves on Caem Shore were starting to annoy him. If Ardyn looked at the sea just right, the sun would glint off the surface of the water and shine too brightly in his eyes. Little pinpricks of irritation. His body did not like the sun, after all. 

Just as he was thinking of starting up his car and driving somewhere else, his cellphone rang. It vibrated against his leg, chirping out the standard ringtone he had forgotten to change. But really, who called him? The Niflheim underlings from time to time. Ravus, once. Iedolas’s minions mostly. He had a cellphone for business purposes only.

Checking the screen perfunctorily, Ardyn’s eyebrows bounced in surprise. ‘True King Noctis’ it read. 

He had forgotten that he gave Noctis his number back in Galdin Quay (and he had forgotten about the sarcastic way he had programmed the kid’s name in his contacts). Grinning at the idea that Noctis would actually call him, Ardyn answered.

“Noctis,” he drawled into the receiver. “My good man. What can I help you with today?”

“A-Ardyn!” Noctis’s trembling voice spoke into his ear across the line. “Y-you…have to help! It’s Prompto…he’s…!” 

The prince trailed off as he lost himself to choked tears. Ardyn bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. The sound of Noctis crying over his pathetic friend was quite amusing, especially considering the fact that Noctis had no idea his friend was actually a thing, hardly a normal Lucian boy like Noctis thought. 

“Calm down, Noct,” Ardyn cooed, hoping he was speaking in his normal voice. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know!!” Noctis bellowed. “Something’s wrong with Prompto. He…he just stopped moving! We think…” Ardyn heard some voices on the other end. “We think he’s…he keeps repeating something about Niflheim programming, we can’t understand it.” 

Ardyn’s eyes flashed in recognition. So, Prompto’s true nature was revealing itself on its own! Amazing!

“Ugh, you’re the only one we could call, Ardyn.” Noctis sound utterly defeated. “Can you come meet us? We’re at the safe haven near the Fallgrove. …Please?”

Ardyn would admit that he was actually quite surprised to hear that word out of the prince’s mouth. He must be a mess in order to ask something like that of a man he so strongly “distrusted,” according to his own words.

That aside, watching those young men finally realize Promto’s true identity? Watching Prompto—the cute one, he assumed—short circuiting? These were all things Ardyn would not miss for the world. He was already sold.

“I’ll be there as fast as I possibly can, Noctis,” Ardyn assured him, already turning the key in the ignition. His car hummed to life expectantly. “Just keep him laying on his back until I get there.” 

Of course, that last piece of advice was pure bullshit. There was nothing to be done once an MT started to short circuit. It usually meant the human core within had rejected a piece of the technology, something there was no coming back from. So basically, Noctis and his friends would get to watch Prompto die. That idea excited Ardyn very much. 

“Okay…but hurry, Ardyn.” 

“You know I will,” the Chancellor replied, turning his car back onto the road. 

And he would. If he wanted to get there in time for the good stuff, anyway.

___________________________________________________

About an hour later, Ardyn arrived at the safe haven. He found himself moving a little more quickly than normal, reaching out with his consciousness to pinpoint those boys’ exact location.

Sure enough, he saw them—their tent and camping supplies already set up for the night—on top of the small outcropping, huddled around Prompto, who was laying motionless on the ground. Noctis was shaking the MT’s shoulders while Ignis attempted to administer an elixir by mouth. Gladiolus paced in the background, uselessly. 

“Ahem.” Ardyn cleared his throat at the base of the haven. 

All eyes turned to him. Noctis sprang to his feet. “Ardyn! You came, thank the six! Come here, quickly!” He beckoned the Chancellor closer, eyes wild with nerves.

“As you wish,” Ardyn replied, humming with satisfaction. He took a few steps forward. 

The runes on the side of the rocks glowed ominously—they were designed to keep out daemons, after all. But Ardyn’s level of power was more than capable of brushing passed them. He stepped over the runes as casually as ever. The markings burst to light as he crossed, then went completely dark. Dead, most likely. Ardyn stomped his foot on one of the runes out of spite. 

“Now, what seems to be the problem?” he asked, approaching Noctis and the prone Prompto. Ignis moved out of the way to make room for him.

Prompto’s eyes were closed, his mouth dangling open. (This one was well-crafted, Ardyn would admit. Smooth skin, nice hair. He could not think of what purpose this MT was made for, but, Ardyn had to give credit where credit was due. Maybe he was made for a sexual purpose…those kinds of MTs were not unheard of, after all.)

“He just fainted all of a sudden!” Noctis explained, panicked. “Then he started saying all these things we couldn’t understand…” 

As if on cue, Prompto began muttering. “…program…needs…alpha theta commands…”

Ardyn could barely make out what the young man was saying. Down on his knees, he leaned forward to try and make out the words. (Just in case the MT revealed any information about his programming or some other sensitive kind of information…not that it really mattered.) He strained his ears to make out the barely voiced words…

All at once, Ardyn felt coarse rope around his wrists. And a dagger at his throat. Prompto’s eyes suddenly opened wide—the brat even smiled a little as Ardyn was momentarily (for barely a fraction of a second) taken off guard.

Ah. A trap. 

“Gotcha, big guy,” Prompto quipped.

…Wait. These misbegotten Lucians—these slow-witted infants stumbling their way across some half-assed quest—had actually orchestrated a ruse? Had thought far enough to lure him in with real acting? And were now attempting to kidnap him for some (probably stupid) reason? 

That…was hilarious! 

Ardyn giggled as Gladiolus hoisted him to his feet, the rope tight against his wrists. Ignis’s dagger pressed threateningly into the flesh at his throat, but not enough to draw blood. Ardyn met the bespectacled man’s gaze with a smile. Ignis looked serious—as always, really, the guy was stiff as a board—but not malicious. In a lot of ways, Ardyn doubted whether any of these men had any true malice in them.

Which begged the question, why the kidnapping ploy?

“Well done, I must say,” Ardyn began as Gladiolus dragged him over to a folding chair and plopped him down in the seat. He glanced over at Noctis who was standing with his arms folded nearby. “Especially you, my young prince. Your acting was…commendable indeed.” 

“Thanks,” Noctis replied flatly. Prompto came up next to him and Noctis immediately patted his friend on the back. They nodded at each other warmly. 

Such good friends… Ardyn thought distantly.

_All the better for when Noctis realizes his friend is made of us._ (The daemons were definitely disappointed they were not going to actually witness Prompto’s demise. Bitter, to say the least. Ardyn felt their bitterness viscerally, as he normally did with any of their collective emotions, and it left a sour taste in his mouth.)

Gladiolus wrapped another length of rope around Ardyn’s middle, tying his waist to the chair. Ignis dropped his knife and went into the tent for a moment. They left his legs free—not that it mattered. If Ardyn wanted to, he could have easily reduced these ropes to nothing and been off on his way. 

But he was still feeling that intense bitterness. Mixed with honest curiousness. He wanted to rile these cocky young bastards now, and to find out what ridiculous plan they had intended. 

“All this rope,” Ardyn commented, tugging against his bonds for show. His eyes twinkled. “One wonders what need four young gentlemen have for such a boundless supply of rope…” 

Gladiolus emerged from behind him, wearing a grey pair of jeans and a thin sleeveless undershirt. Ardyn had never seen him in this outfit before—it was…striking, at first glance. Despite the tattoo, Gladiolus looked almost like a normal spry, buff man.

The Shield opened the flap of the tent and spoke rapidly to Ignis. “What else do you need?” They continued a conversation Ardyn did not particularly care about.

Noctis and Prompto were having their own conversation off to the side in whispered tones. For people who had just successfully (at least, in theory) pulled off a kidnapping, they were kind of ignoring their prisoner. 

Ardyn rankled at that. They were just going to tie him up and leave him here?

_Fucking idiots, fools to the very day they’ll die…_ (The daemons seethed at the perception of a slight.)

 “It’s almost a shame,” Ardyn began loudly, calling Noctis and Prompto’s attention back to him. “I thought for a moment our dear Prompto had revealed his secret to all of you.” He paused for a moment. “Oops, sorry. Did I say that out loud?” 

Might as well stir the pot, Ardyn thought, cackling internally.

Noctis frowned. “Secret?” Then his face smoothed out in realization. “Oh, what, you mean that Prompto is an MT? Yeah, we’ve known about that for a while.”

With that, Prompto held up his hand and removed his wristband for a moment. The thick black barcode shone undisguised for all to see. The blonde clicked his teeth and saluted Ardyn with one finger.

“It’s, like, not a big deal for us.” Noctis shrugged. He looked back to the tent, as if eager for Ignis and Gladiolus to come back. 

Ardyn’s lips parted in surprise. Oh…well. It made sense that they would already know about Prompto in order to be able to pull off a ruse like that. But the thought that they would have no reaction…? Didn’t they care their best friend was basically an enemy, sleeping and living alongside them this whole time? 

Fools. You couldn’t win against fools. Ardyn closed his mouth and shook his head in defeat.

“Yup, barcodes,” Prompto walked over to Ardyn, completely undaunted. “They’re kind of hard to hide after a while. You know?” 

For a moment, the young man’s face actually shined with an honest smile. He was smiling at Ardyn—not mockingly, either. Just genuinely amused. Ardyn stared back at him, unsure what to do with that look. 

“But come on, alpha theta commands? That’s not even a thing, man.” Prompto shrugged with his hands splayed wide. He laughed for a few seconds at Ardyn’s expense.

Okay, this kid was a little annoying. Ardyn sighed. So was their intention just to tease him? What kind of nonsense plan was that? And if not, they better tip their hand quickly, because Ardyn was tired of listening to Prompto’s cheery laugh.

_Snuff it out. Wipe that smile right off his face—_

Then, Prompto approached him. He reached out, hesitantly at first, and plucked Ardyn’s fedora right off his head. 

_That little…!_

“Do be careful with that hat,” Ardyn commented, trying to ease the daemons’ rage with an indifferent response. That sometimes worked. “I’ve had it a very, very long time.” (That much was true.)

Prompto inspected the fedora. “It’s nice,” he said sincerely. “Looks good on you, too.” 

“…Thank you.” Ardyn smiled thinly—but he was ready to admit to himself now that he had no idea where this was going. 

Well, maybe it was time to leave after all…

Just then, Gladiolus and Ignis emerged from the tent. Ignis had a book in one hand and a small medical bag in the other. Gladiolus was carefully carrying a full glass of something, but the cup was black so Ardyn could not see what was inside. Noctis and Prompto immediately pulled up some more folding chairs until they were all sitting in a neat circle. Ardyn noticed that Prompto was now defiantly wearing his fedora. 

“Drink this.” Gladiolus held the cup up to Ardyn’s mouth. Clear liquid sloshed in front of his nose.

Ardyn grinned up at the Shield. “I’m not particularly thirsty.” 

Gladiolus sighed, looking more wary than anything. “Just drink it.” 

“I appreciate the hospitality, after you’ve gone through all this trouble to kidnap me, but no thank you.” 

The bigger man sighed again. He looked over at Ignis and shrugged. “He’s not going for it.”

“That’s alright. Come sit with us, Gladio.” Ignis waved the matter away with one hand.

Now they were all sitting together. Ardyn looked around the circle, very amused now. What was this, an intervention? Everyone looked serious. Ignis fiddled with the edges of the book he was holding, one that looked quite old. Ancient even. No one seemed to be able to look Ardyn in the eye. 

The Accursed laughed quietly.

Ignis cleared this throat and began. “Chancellor Izunia…er, well…” he adjusted his glasses. “I’ll call you Ardyn from here on out.” 

Ardyn raised one eyebrow. His name sounded smooth but heavy in Ignis’s mouth. It made something inside of the immortal squirm, but not unpleasantly. 

“I’m sure you’re wondering why we’ve gone through all this fuss, and of course, I have to apologize for our approach. It just…seemed as though this were the best option, all things considered.” Ignis glanced around to the other members of the group. Some of them nodded in agreement. 

The advisor continued. “But we’ll be completely honest with you from here on out. We brought you here because we have a proposition for you.” 

“A proposition?” Ardyn had to bite back a harsh laugh. “Do tell.”

Ignis looked sharply at Noctis. “I think you’d better start us off, Highness.” 

The prince in question appeared nothing but uncomfortable. His arms were folded tightly against his knees, and his porcelain face was clouded. Through downturned lips, Noctis began.

“We know about the Scourge. The daemons inside of you. The fact that your real name is Ardyn Lucis Caelum, that you were a king two thousand years ago until you…got sick. That you’re the Accursed One, and that the Archaeons want you dead. …We know everything, basically.” 

Ardyn’s amused expression slowly melted off his face. It turned into bristly self-defense. 

…Oh. So they…knew.

_Hide it. Deny it. Protect the plan._

Ardyn forced a smile back onto his lips. “What ever are you talking about, Highness? You’re speaking nonsense now.” 

“Don’t try to deny it,” Gladiolus barked. “Noctis heard everything from Ramuh Himself. Even saw flashbacks from your life back then.” The Shield paused, running his eyes all over Ardyn’s body. Penetratingly. “Some pretty…rough shit happened to you, huh.”

Rough…? A tremor of hilarity ran through Ardyn’s mind. They knew everything and _that_ was how they chose to describe it? As if all that—everything, every humiliation and act of degradation, every torturous moment of his life before now—could be summed up in those crude two words. As if they could even _begin_ to understand what Ardyn had been through. As if anyone would even try—

It was hilarious to think about. He broke into a fit of giggles without realizing.

“Stop.” Noctis was shaking his head, frowning seriously at Ardyn. “Don’t…try and laugh it off. I…saw, okay? I have those memories now, too. They’re…bad.” 

At that, Ardyn’s thoughts stopped in their tracks. Noctis really had seen something, hadn’t he? The prince looked shaken. Clearly whatever he had seen disturbed him. 

It took several moments for Ardyn to process the idea that Noctis knew some of his most intimate (and, well, shameful) memories and that they had affected the kid in this way. The immortal did not…quite know how to react to that. He had not expected this to say the least. 

Firstly, damn that Ramuh for spoiling his big reveal. He had planned to tell Noctis and his friends all about himself at the appropriate time. Now it was ruined! What a shame. And besides that, h e was never planning on sharing some (a...select few...) of those memories with anyone. It hurt to know that someone else ( _Noctis_ , of all people!) had seen them. 

On the other hand, well…was he satisfied that Noctis knew a little bit more about the burden of being a Lucian king? Was he satisfied knowing that Noctis’s saw how his beloved Archaeons were traitors and hypocrites? 

His brain was already running in so many directions.

“We want to help you,” Prompto said suddenly. Ardyn whipped his head in Prompto’s direction in time to meet a serious, concerned look from the boy. 

Ardyn sneered in response. He meant to be more composed than that, but. It was getting harder to keep his cool.

“Ramuh explained to Noctis that the only way for the world to continue, without descending into daemonic ruin, is for the Accursed to be destroyed. Or purified, as the Archaeons put it. He made it sound like Noctis needs to defeat you in battle. To kill you, in other words. Or else we’ll all be killed by an onslaught of daemons.” Ignis held up the book in his lap. “But I believe we have found another way.” 

Another…way? Ardyn frowned as his mind raced to catch up. None of this was news (he had orchestrated his plan to be the victor in said battle, after all), but he had never heard of another way before. 

“We found this book in the Tomb of the Pious.” Ignis opened the book and flipped through the pages. “The writing is old—ancient, for sure—but the Pious King speaks of a…different way to defeat daemons. One he and his wife—the Oracle, at the time—used extensively during their reign.”

Ignis held up the book for Ardyn to see. There was a small drawing on the bottom of the page. A human figure was surrounded by other humans, withstanding touches to all parts of his/her (it was hard to tell from the way the picture was drawn; there were no explicit body parts) body. Shadows of daemons cowered in fear, scattering away from the body of the person in the middle. 

Ardyn squinted at the picture, then glanced back at Ignis curiously. He still said nothing. 

“Basically,” Ignis continued, laying the book flat and turning to several other pages. “The Pious King asserts that daemons are existentially opposed to feelings like joy and bliss. Because their manifested physicality is drawn from negative emotions like fear and hatred, positive feelings are their natural anathema. This kind of thinking is supported by the belief of early philosophers that human desire is, in a sense, as much a cure as it is an affliction—”

“Keep it short, Specs,” Noctis grumbled where he sat.

Ignis sighed. He closed the book and held up his gloved hands in defeat. “…Alright. The point is, there is evidence that extreme sexual pleasure can purify a body afflicted with the Scourge. Apparently the Pious King and the Oracle would cure people by…seducing and satisfying them during the outcropping of Scourge that occurred in their lifetimes. The book goes into…” Ignis adjusted his glasses again. “…lurid detail.”

The advisor met Ardyn’s intense gaze. He was entirely serious about this, no hint of embarrassment or teasing. Just a little bit of awkwardness (considering the topic), and underneath that nothing but earnestness. 

“If that’s true,” Ignis went on. “Then we may be able to rid you of the Scourge without having to go through any unnecessary violence, and without having to risk making covenants with the rest of the Archaeons. By…applying the Pious King’s methods.” 

“What he’s saying is,” Prompto jumped in. “We want to do it with you. We want to make you feel good—so good that the daemons won’t be able to stand it, and then they’ll have to leave you alone.” 

“…Thank you, Prompto,” Ignis answered, blinking slowly. 

“Got it.” The MT saluted their tactician. 

_Stop. Stop spewing this nonsense like you fools have any idea…_ (The daemons inside of him were twitching irritably now, all of a sudden. Set to a slow boil with rage.)

“It seems like it’ll work,” Gladiolus added. “If we can believe what’s written in that book. And we’re willing to give it a go on our end.” 

“Yes.” Ignis nodded. “I’ve planned it all out, in detail, every step of the way. Our single-minded goal is to give you as much pleasure as possible, until your body becomes uninhabitable to the daemons. I’m very confident that we’ll be able to do this…if you agree to it, that is.”

“That’s right.” Prompto smiled again at Ardyn. “You don't have to worry about anything. We know exactly what we’re doing. Just leave it to us!” 

_Shut up. Shut your damn mouth you insufferable piece of—_ (The daemon’s will was bubbling up inside, wreaking havoc. Feelings of anger and pure indignation, wrapped around a central core of fear.)

“Enough.” Ardyn grunted and bared his teeth, fighting down the surging will of the daemons. They were becoming difficult to control in this moment when they were so riled up. (Yet, why were they so startled?) 

The group went silent as they saw Ardyn twist hard. A cloud of darkness emanated from the Chancellor’s form, the first physical signs of daemons any of them had ever seen. 

It proved their suspicions true. They knew then that they had to do this. The four men looked at each other with renewed determination. 

“Hey, seriously. What do you have to lose?” Gladiolus spoke with a chuckle. “You’ve got four guys here that are dying to bang your brains out. Something wrong with that?” 

Ardyn heard those words and a sliver of something wormed its way to the surface, crawling out over the rotten pile of the daemons. 

Lust. 

Daemons, of course, were filled with lust and unbridled desire of all kinds. Sexual desire and crudeness was like catnip to them. No matter what they were feeling about this whole plan, they could not fight back the twitch of arousal that snaked through Ardyn at Gladiolus’s suggestion. 

The immortal hummed as that arousal made itself known to his own consciousness. He felt his pulse start to quicken. He looked at Gladiolus and noticed, through the dark haze trying to cloud his vision, how handsome this man was, in spite of everything. That outfit really worked for him. His gleaming muscles stood out underneath that intricately tattooed flesh. 

Ardyn licked his lips, coming back to his senses. (He had just been about halfway demonized there, but now his humanity had returned.)

Alright. So Ardyn would admit that he was attracted to these men. Gladiolus with his buff, virile allure, salient to anyone who had working eyes. Prompto with his boyish charm, all sunshine and smiles. Teasing and eager, a pleasing face to match his vibrant personality. Ignis with his exacting nature, no doubt as thorough in the bedroom as he was with everything else. His intelligent self-confidence seated comfortably within a body that could make any sane man start to salivate. And Noctis…

Noctis. Ardyn turned to look at the prince and found that Noctis was looking right back at him. Had he been staring at Ardyn the whole time? 

Noctis nodded once in the Chancellor’s direction. His watery blue eyes gleamed with righteousness. “I want to do this for you,” the prince said seriously. “Honestly, I’m already attracted to you. And I don’t want to fight you. This is kind of like…the best thing that could have happened, for everyone. I think.” 

Something inside Ardyn’s chest (that there, what was that called? the…heart?) jolted when Noctis said those words. The immortal realized then how much he was attracted to Noctis, as well. He had never really thought about it before (primarily concerned with the True King’s destruction), but Noctis was beautiful. Almost painfully so. A face as flawless as the crystalline surface of a still pond, and a lanky body that seemed to beg for attention no matter how Noctis held himself. 

Oh, oh yes. Ardyn felt his cock—something he had not thought of this entire conversation until now—twitch to life in his pants. He was normally sort of slow to arousal these days (seems the millennia were catching up with him). But all of a sudden, Ardyn felt like a young man again. 

He wanted to do this. And really, what did it matter? It wasn’t like that ridiculous book held any merit—it was probably just erotic fiction written by a bored Pious King (hadn’t Ardyn known that man to be something of a bookish straight, someone overly in love with his wife?). If even that. No way something that outrageous could be a viable way to cure the Scourge. Ardyn would have heard of it by now if it was.

But, if these attractive young men wanted to spend a night with him, then…well, who was Ardyn to say no? 

Meanwhile, Noctis blushed at his own words. He was a little embarrassed to look up at his friends. He had not exactly told them that he was attracted to Ardyn before now, even though they were open with each other about most things. Still, Noctis was always kind of worried that the rest of the group saw him as a slut—after all, he had been the one to approach them about starting a relationship together. 

It was after he and Prompto started dating, once he admitted to Prompto that he harbored secret crushes for Ignis and Gladio both. To his surprise, Prompto had immediately agreed with Noctis and swore that he had the same feelings about his boyfriend’s retainers. From there, with Prompto’s support, Noctis was able to confess his feelings to his lifelong friends. It took some getting used to, feeling out boundaries and stuff, but they all began…messing around with each other. Sleeping together. Blowing each others’ minds with the things they could do. 

Noctis wouldn’t trade what they had for the world. Still, his own insecurities told him that the other three secretly looked down on him for being greedy, for wanting all of them. And now he wanted to add even Ardyn to the mix. …But he couldn’t help that it was true.

Bashfully, knowing he would have to do it eventually, Noctis raised his eyes to look at his lovers. They were looking back at him with warm smiles on their faces. Ignis nodded, as if he had always known. Gladiolus gave him a surreptitious thumbs up, clearly proud of him for having the guts to say that. Prompto was grinning ear to ear. 

Shit, Noctis loved these guys. He covered his face with one hand, trying to pull himself together. But really. They were the best. Knowing that these three were there, accepting him no matter what, had to be the best feeling in the world.

Now it was time to show Ardyn what that felt like. 

“Come now,” Ardyn said with a small shake of his head. His crimson hair stuck out at all angles, perhaps a brighter shade than normal, if that were possible. “Do you amorous young men really believe this is going to work out the way you want it to?” 

“Why shouldn’t it?” Ignis countered. 

“Because, if you know all that about me, then you must know that I am immortal. You can’t kill me. And thus, you have no way of threatening me.” To show what he meant, Ardyn pressed outwards with his dark energy and the ropes around his body turned to ash. 

Gladiolus moved to stand, but Ignis held out his hand to stop him. “We know that,” the advisor replied calmly. “That’s why we are taking this time to secure your consent first.” 

Good. Ardyn licked his lips again. In reality, he had already made up his mind to go along with this (oh, what a delicious idea), but he just wanted to make it clear to those young men that they had no power over him. And, it seemed he had made his point—at least Gladiolus looked riled. 

“I see,” Ardyn answered out loud. “So you have thought this through.” 

“As I said.” With that, Ignis rose to his feet. “Well then, what is your answer, Ardyn?” 

“My answer?” Ardyn rose to his feet as well, grinning. “My answer is, if you four gentlemen are so eager to share yourselves with me—a man of no consequence—then…how can I say no?” He held his arms out. “Do your worst.” 

Truth be told, he was ready to get started. The curious part of him really wanted to see exactly what these guys did to each other behind closed doors. (Could it be any more obvious that they were all fucking? Ardyn did not think it could.)

“Excellent.” Ignis smiled. It was the first legitimate smile Ardyn had ever seen from the man, genuinely pleased but still calculating, and it was…a little unnerving. “Come here, then.” 

Ardyn would gladly accept that invitation. Keep his face twisted in a grin, he approached Ignis until he was within arm’s length. This close, Ardyn felt the electric pulse that was Ignis’s presence. The man’s hazel eyes hummed with bright energy, sizing Ardyn up by millisecond behind his glasses. It was intense—Ignis was intense, Ardyn realized now, when he fixed you with this kind of look. 

It excited the Accursed. Such harsh, pure light combined with a delicious body. 

_Break him!_ (The daemons chanted.) _Break that light, break all of them. Devour them—_

“Closer, please.” 

Ignis grabbed Ardyn by his lapel and pulled him in close, right up against his slim body. Ardyn grunted in response, caught off guard by the forcefulness of it. Then, before he could collect himself, Ignis was kissing him.

It started off slow. A firm but unhurried kiss. Ignis pressed their mouths together and held the immortal’s face in both hands, keeping Ardyn still as he moved his lips. Ardyn could taste Ignis, could smell him and feel him where they were touching. Each point of contact felt just as electric. His lips started to move against Ignis’s, almost by themselves. 

Oh, yes, Ignis knew how to kiss. As expected. Ignis deepened their kiss by tilting his head to the side and opening his mouth. His tongue slid over Ardyn’s so confidently that the Chancellor gasped. It had been many, many years since someone was so forceful with him. So forward. …When had it been? He could barely remember now. 

But he didn’t care. He was loving Ignis’s hot mouth on his own, the man’s saliva tasting almost sweet. The inside of Ardyn’s mouth was becoming an erogenous zone as Ignis licked everywhere inside, exploring him. He yielded to that tongue because he liked the way it felt. He wanted more of it, wanted to see what it could do. 

And he could not help but imagine that tongue licking the iron hardness between his legs, which was now firmly at attention. Thicker than he had been in years (all truth be told, but no one needed to know that.) 

Suddenly, there were hands around his shoulders. Ardyn twitched, breaking the kiss for a moment to see who was behind him. It was Prompto, smiling devilishly and carefully removing Ardyn’s coat. 

Prompto winked quickly at the Chancellor and said, “I know. He’s good at that, right?” 

Ardyn opened his mouth to respond, but Ignis forcibly turned his face back around before he could get a word out. “Not yet,” Ignis answered for him. Then he brought their mouths together again, massaging Ardyn’s lips with his own. This time, even though Ardyn had been expecting it, the familiarity sent a surge of warmth through his stomach and legs. Ignis’s mouth was so damn careful—Ardyn was beginning to understand what people meant when they said “weak at the knees,” though he could not remember feeling this way before. Especially over something as trivial as a kiss. 

Once Prompto got the Chancellor’s coat off, Ardyn thought the MT would stop for a moment. Maybe start kissing Ardyn’s neck—which, he would keep to himself, was his favorite place to be kissed. And yes, he was rather looking forward to some attention from that smart-mouthed blonde…

But no. Prompto kept going. He undid the buttons on Ardyn’s dress shirt, sliding the material away from the older man’s body without giving him a chance to think. His worn body underneath was brought to light. Ardyn’s skin was rather pale and worn. Loose. Alright, somewhat flabby, though not terribly so. It was the body of a middle-aged man, which Ardyn told himself was not bad considering how old he actually was. Even still, for the past few hundred years or so, Ardyn had not taken his shirt off during sex. Just because…well, most people did not find the pasty body of what seemed like a man in his forties to be particularly attractive. 

So, Ardyn was a little surprised that Prompto would undress him right away. He grunted against Ignis’s mouth and tried to suck in his stomach a little—it was an automatic reaction. He felt silly doing it. But it was natural to want these youngsters to be attracted to him, especially if they were going to go any further.

Prompto, however, did not seem to mind. He ran one hand up Ardyn’s front, from waistband to collarbone, pausing at Ardyn's stomach for a brief moment to pat the supple flesh playfully. Then Prompt ran his other hand up Ardyn's back. The blonde’s fingers toyed around Ardyn’s chest for a brief moment, grazing his nipples and tracing a line to the hollow of his throat. 

Ah, such delicate fingers. And all the while, Ignis bombarded Ardyn’s mouth with kisses that left the older man’s mind sort of numb. 

Suddenly, Prompto’s hand reached down to cup Ardyn’s invigorated member through his pinstriped trousers. 

“Mnh!” Ardyn muttered into the kiss, truly taken aback at how tightly Prompto was gripping him. With how hard he had gotten (Ardyn knew quite well how much thicker his own dick became when he was aroused), his pants were fitting rather…snugly. Almost uncomfortably so. 

Needing to push Ignis’s shoulders to create some space, Ardyn broke the kiss and took a deep breath. He composed himself and regarded the two men around him with a forced smile. 

“My, my…” he said, slightly breathless, voice gone gruff. “You boys certainly are…eager.” 

“Of course,” Ignis replied. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smirk. “There’s so much left to be done.” 

Not giving him any to think, Noctis came up on Ardyn’s other side. Now he had Ignis in front of him, Noctis to his right, and Prompto to his left. All close enough to touch. Noctis immediately began pressing his lips to Ardyn’s shoulder, shyly at first. Just soft presses of his tiny lips against the immortal’s skin. 

Even that amount of contact lit an unholy fire in Ardyn’s belly. This, this was the crown prince of Lucis kissing his unsightly body. This was the True King himself who looked like he was enjoying it.

O…kay. This was getting a little overwhelming, Ardyn thought to himself. If only they would take just a bit more time with him…didn’t they know it had been at least, what, fifty years? Maybe more? Since the last time he’d had sex. (It wasn’t for any reason, not really, just mostly because sex seemed rather unoriginal after two thousand years. He’d tired of all the kinky stuff after the first thousand, and now he was left just waiting for some youngster to catch his eye, which rarely ever happened anymore.)

And here there were three extremely breathtaking young men lavishing him with attention. He needed more time to adjust. No wait, there were four men—where was Gladiolus?

But before Ardyn could look for the Shield, Noctis was undoing the clasp of the Chancellor’s belt. Ignoring the sound of surprise that came from the older man’s mouth, the prince pulled the belt away and tossed it on the ground. He quickly moved to unbutton the trousers and pull down the zipper. Prompto helped him from there, pushing Ardyn’s pants down to the floor. 

“Step out of them,” Noctis instructed. “And your shoes too.” 

Unable to think of an argument, just offering a perfunctory shake of his head, Ardyn did as he was told. He stood on the bare ground in only his socks and his (rather worn) black boxers. 

Again, Prompto bought his hand up and played with Ardyn’s covered cock. The blonde ran his palm up and down the tip of that thick member, where it was starting to get wet against the black fabric. 

“Now, now,” Ardyn said, grabbing Prompto’s wrist to stop him. He said it chidingly, but in truth, any more of that and Ardyn would be in danger of…well, he would be approaching a point of no return. 

And it was too early for that. The other four were not even undressed yet. 

“Sorry!” Prompto dropped his hand, getting the hint and not pushing it. “Just can’t wait to see what you’re working with there, big guy.” 

“Same here,” Noctis agreed, kissing Ardyn’s shoulder and across his collarbone. 

“You flatter me.” Ardyn looked at both boys with incredulous eyes. “Any more of that and you’ll make this old man blush—”

Ah, there! The prince’s mouth finally brushed Ardyn’s neck. It sent little sparks of pleasure down the rest of his body. This sensitive neck of his had gotten him into trouble before. It seemed it would again.

“That a good spot for you?” Prompto asked, rather perceptive. He dropped his head and immediately began kissing the other side of Ardyn’s neck while Noctis sucked lightly on his side.

Such a combination of pleasure made Ardyn moan openly. He was not in any rush to hide his enjoyment. 

Two young men latched onto his neck, lavishing him with attention? Eos above and below, a man could get used to this kind of treatment! 

Ardyn wrapped his arms around the boys’ shoulders. He let his hands wander, feeling up those two thin frames. He snaked one hand around to Prompto’s front, groping the blonde’s chest (those pectorals were just meaty enough for a good handful) while the other buried itself in Noctis’s nest of silky black hair. Such a delight to each one of his senses. Ardyn felt his member fill out completely. He was not feeling so self-conscious anymore. He let his body be what it was—no matter how he looked, his body definitely wasn’t slowing down these two guys nipping hickeys into his throat. 

He closed his eyes and sighed. A feeling of intense calm swept over him. This was quite nice…

_Stay alert. They’re trying to trick you. They’ll turn on you in a second, these filthy righteous bastards!_ (The daemons jerked awake as soon as Ardyn let his guard down. They filled him with sudden hatred at the thought that they were trying to trick him.) 

Ardyn grunted as that twinge of hatred shattered his calm. Noctis and Prompto felt it and they both lifted their heads at once. 

“You okay?” Prompto asked, eyebrows raised in concern. 

“Yes. Fine.” Ardyn looked away. Those baby blue eyes of Prompto’s looked sincerely worried—soft and sweet. They confused Ardyn, who could not think farther than the daemons in his own mind.

“You should relax more.” Nocits combed his fingers through Ardyn’s hair affectionately. “Let us help you.”

Another bit of genuine fondness—! All the dissonance in Ardyn’s mind made him forget that he should probably give a response to those words. But he couldn’t form any coherent thought when he was torn between daemons and two pairs of lovely, caring eyes.

Someone grabbed Ardyn by the hand. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Ignis. “Better come lay down,” the bespectacled man urged. Ardyn looked down and saw that there was a clean blanket laid across the ground in front of him. Gladiolus was already sitting there, shirt off completely now. On his knees.  

Oh what a sight. 

Ardyn’s humanity kicked back in and the Chancellor smiled. “Certianly,” he purred, letting Ignis lead him to the blanket. The two boys stepped out of the way to let him pass, following behind him. 

Before he could sit down, Ignis took the liberty of divesting Ardyn of his boxers in one swift, dauntless move. It happened faster than the Chancellor could even react to. Prompto was on his knees removing Ardyn’s socks one by one, even bending the older man’s leg at the knee to help the process along. 

So now Ardyn was fully nude. It should not have felt as weird as it did. He knew he had no reason to be self-conscious of this body—not after two thousand years of its ownership. But…something about the way these four men looked at him. They were staring at him lasciviously, hunger clear on their faces. They wanted him.

Being wanted was no particular novelty to Ardyn. People had wanted him before, more times than he could even remember. But this…felt different. These men _knew_ him. They knew what he was. They knew where he had come from and what he was trying to do. Fuck, they even knew about the daemons clamoring around inside of him. And still, they wanted him anyway.

That. That was definitely new. Ardyn had never felt quite like this before. Exposed in the extreme and…so full of desire.

(What were these guys, crazy? Stupid? They had to be, right? Oh, shit, he didn’t even care. He wanted to fuck each and every one of them….)

“See?” Prompto wrapped a hand around Ardyn’s full girth without hesitation. “I knew you were gonna be hung like this. Operating on all cylinders, aren’t you?” 

Ardyn twitched when he felt that slim, short-fingered hand on him. Prompto’s skin was soft, but there were callouses on his fingers from where he held his guns. That combination—soft and then suddenly rough in places—was so very erotic. All Prompto needed to do was stroke him a few times and he would probably lose it—

_No._

Right, no. Ardyn couldn’t lose it just from an amateur handjob. That was absurd. He pulled away from Prompto instinctively, unsure where to stand because he was essentially surrounded by them. The gunner looked up at him with a slightly confused look. To be fair, the immortal probably seemed a little…flabbergasted.

“Sit down, Ardyn,” Ignis prompted. He gestured to a space on the blanket in front of him. 

Ardyn’s lips remembered the soft feel of Ignis’s mouth on his. His tongue darted out excitedly at the memory. Oh, he was down for that again. And he would be able to control himself during that. Not a problem.

Nodding—himself again—Ardyn sat in front of Ignis. He smiled as he registered the feeling of being inside Ignis’s space, such a nice place to be. Then, he cupped Ignis’s face with one hand and kissed the man. This time, Ignis let Ardyn take control of the kiss. Ardyn had his own way of kissing—deep and fast. His motion forced Ignis to move his head up and down a bit, and he liked watching the advisor bend to his movements. 

Seeing that he had some leeway here, Ardyn unbuttoned Ignis’s shirt. He slid his hand against the advisor’s bare chest, unspeakably aroused just by the feel of him. So smooth. Not quite built, but lithe. Kissing Ignis hard, Ardyn pulled the shirt away from the younger man’s body. Naked to the waist, Ignis looked like a carved sculpture of a man. Seriously, Ardyn had seen paintings that were less beautiful than this. 

Ardyn wanted to press Ignis down on his back. He kissed his way down Ignis’s throat, instantly addicted to the feel of Ignis’s soft skin. Each small groan the man uttered vibrated against Ardyn’s lips. Oh, by the crown, he wanted to push between Ignis’s legs and fuck hard into his body—

Any other time and Ardyn would have done exactly that. But right at that moment, he felt hands on his shoulders. Large, strong hands. Gladiolus literally pulled Ardyn away from Ignis and in one movement flipped Ardyn around so that they were face to face. With a grin, he sat the older man down in his lap. 

It felt weird to be dwarfed by Gladiolus’s body. Not that Ardyn was so small, he wasn’t, by any means. But underneath all his clothes, his body was much slighter than the Shield’s. He was sitting in the space between Gladiolus’s crossed legs, with room to spare. It was…strange. (He normally did not go for larger men, but Gladiolus was the exception, with his tantalizing inked shoulders and delightfully scarred face.) But not unpleasant. 

“Ready for me?” Gladiolus asked. His large hands held onto Ardyn’s waist, keeping him upright. 

“But of course,” Ardyn replied, smirking at the Shield’s arrogance. He bent down, closing the distance between them and kissing the larger man.

Gladiolus had a distinctively different kiss. His was warmer but somehow softer than Ignis's. Where Ignis had probed and pushed, Gladiolus just lingered. The Shield had a rather wide mouth and his lips covered Ardyn’s completely. It felt like kissing a warm, soft rock. Unmovable, touching every part of his mouth. Then Gladiolus sucked Ardyn’s bottom lip into his big mouth and nipped, hard.

“Anh…” Ardyn groaned, his hips unconsciously jutting forward into the hard slab of steel that was Gladiolus’s torso. 

Fuck, this man was so young. He had a body that was so tight. Ardyn’s hands ran over every inch of Gladiolus’s shoulders and back, absolutely enthralled just by the feel of him. He could not stop himself from touching, he needed more. His hips started grinding against the Shield’s abs in abandon.

Then, there were hands on his back again. This time thin and long-fingered. Ignis. Groaning in disappointment, Ardyn let Ignis pull him away from Gladiolus. The advisor laid him down flat on his back, of all things. Now the chancellor was laying prone on the blanket, hard cock jutting upward from his body at an almost ninety degree angle. (Such vigor…Ardyn himself was surprised at the flushed, erect sight of his own length.)

Alright. Time to lay it all out on the table: Ardyn could not remember the last time he was this turned on. Being the center of attention was arousing enough, but then there was way he was constantly tugged in all directions by these men, never getting a chance to breathe. Never allowed to truly indulge his desires.

And so, yeah. He was starting to get a little frustrated. A little…needy. The smile was gone from his face now; he looked up at Ignis with a slight frown. His cock—he couldn’t believe it, but after uncountable years it was true—was actually starting to ache it was so hard. 

“Feeling alright?” Ignis asked, his mouth twitching again in his small way of smiling. 

Ardyn sighed as if bored. “Yes, yes. Let’s just get on with it, shall we?” 

“If you like,” Ignis said, running both hands down Ardyn’s chest. The Chancellor moaned in response without thinking. Of course, Ignis heard the sound and smiled. “Or we could keep going like this for a little longer.” 

Ardyn clicked his tongue in irritation. He didn’t want that. He needed to goad these young men into doing something more… 

“Is this all you young people are good for these days?” the immortal asked with a twisted grin. “Just touching and teasing? Nothing of substance?” 

Ignis laughed lightly. A small round of chuckles followed him. It looked as if Ignis genuinely did not regard that comment with any sincerity. That was…frustrating. But also kind of interesting. That Ignis would take him so lightly.

“Now, now,” the advisor chided. “Don’t be like that. No need for insults.” Without even finishing the sentence, Ignis wrapped his own delicate hand around Ardyn’s cock.

Oh….oh yes. Ignis’s hand was firm, just enough pressure. Smooth (it seemed his gloves protected his hands from the elements and kept them immaculate) and unblemished. He stroked up Ardyn’s length once, squeezing tighter around the tip. Ardyn hissed through his teeth. Fuck, that felt good. Ignis did the same thing again. 

It was all long, languid strokes. It should have been boring, but with how badly Ardyn wanted to get off at this point, it was actually torturously good. Ardyn was beginning to sweat. His hips rutted up into Ignis’s fist, trying to get more contact with that delightfully smooth hand. But the advisor studiously kept his pace, matching Ardyn’s movements with practiced ease.

Ignis’s other hand wandered downward. His fingers found Ardyn’s nipples and he flicked them a few times. 

“Tch…” Ardyn said between clenched teeth. Normally he did not care for nipple play. It usually tickled more than anything. 

But the way Ignis ran the pads of his fingers over and over those little nubs, teasing the flesh there until it hardened… His nipples almost felt like another erection on Ardyn’s body. He felt overly exposed, as if his entire body were hardening now underneath Ignis’s careful ministrations. 

Shit. That feeling. Bared beneath Ignis…the advisor was twisting his hand around his girth, rubbing a perfectly manicured thumb against his slit. Quite literally wringing an orgasm from him—

He was about to come. From just this. How embarrassing…for someone who had been around for millennia… 

Then again, this is what they all wanted, wasn't it? To get him off. They had _planned_ this. Looking at it that way, Ardyn had no reason to be overly self-consciousness. Why should it matter if he came from just a slightly above average handjob?

…Yeah…that’s what he would tell himself…because he was seriously going to get off—

Teeth grinding together, Ardyn looked up at Ignis. He panted out, “You’re….about to…get what you want out of me…you know that?” 

“Hmm…” Ignis smiled, clearly pleased. He leaned down and whispered in Ardyn’s ear, “I’m counting on it.” 

That did it. Ardyn came hard into Ignis’s hand. He felt the climax tearing through his body, as if by force. When his orgasm spilled out everywhere, his mind went blank for a few seconds. It was…he felt a tiny bit of old pain--a pain he had forgotten was even there--slide out of him along with his cum. 

Taking deep breaths, Ardyn came back into himself. He felt…refreshed. Like he had just enjoyed a long sleep—which he certainly never did anymore. Ah, how nice. He could feel the setting sun on his face and for once it didn’t hurt. 

The rest of the group stared hard at him, as if waiting for some kind of reaction. Ardyn took quick stock of himself. Yes, everything was still intact. The daemons murmured quietly underneath his flesh, as always. Even if he did feel a little bit better. This had been nothing revelatory, not by far. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, boys…” Ardyn began, ambling into a sitting position. Ignis was cleaning his hands on a towel off to the side. “That was nice, but far from the best handjob I’ve ever received. I applaud the effort—” He nodded in Ignis’s direction. “—but once you’ve been around for as long as I have, everything gets a little stale.” 

The boys frowned at him. They looked around at each other, clearly confused. Then suddenly, Ignis shook his head. 

“Ardyn, you misunderstand. We’re just getting started.” 

Suddenly understanding, the other three started to chuckle. They shared knowing looks between each other. Noctis shook his head, muttering something to Gladiolus who barked a gruff laugh in response. 

Oh. There would be…more. Well, Ardyn supposed he should have expected that. (And yet, somehow he hadn’t. That handjob really had been rather good. On a normal day, Ardyn would have been set for the rest of the night, but…)

Prompto kneeled down, clapping Ardyn on the back like they were old friends. “Did you really think we were going to let you off the hook with just a lousy handy, buddy?” 

The boy glanced nervously over at Ignis, who was sternly glaring back at him. “No disrespect to Iggy, of course! No way, you give mind-blowing handjobs, Ignis, you really do…but…” Prompto looked back over at Ardyn with a bashful expression. “You’ve got thousands of years worth of daemons inside you, man. It’s gonna take a little more than that.” 

 “Yeah, obviously,” Noctis mumbled from the sidelines. 

They all agreed with each other for a beat. Ardyn quickly took stock of himself for a second time, trying to decide if he could handle anymore. His body felt a little…tired…after that. Maybe he needed more of a…refractory period…

“So.” Gladiolus spoke loudly, ready to get down to business again. “What’s it gonna be? Who’s doing him next?” 

Noctis tutted. “Did you forget the plan already?” He jabbed Gladiolus in the shoulder playfully. “Prompto’s got him next.” 

“Oh, that’s right,” Gladiolus said, realization dawning on his face. He broke into a grin and looked over at Ardyn. “Man, you are going to love this. Prompto gives the best blowjobs on Eos. Trust me with this, I know what I’m talking about.”

Ardyn turned immediately over to Prompto. The blonde met his gaze and slowly licked his lips. The immortal focused in on that little tongue with laser-intensity.

Well. It looked like Ardyn would not need any more of a refractory period. His cock—it was a miracle, but it was true—already stood at full mast once again. How could it not? The sight of Prompto eagerly crawling over to Ardyn and wiggling between the older man’s legs would probably be enough to keep him hard for days.

The daemons slobbered inside of him. They wanted this just as badly as he did in that moment. 

So, throwing his hands up in acquiescence, Ardyn settled back on his elbows to watch Prompto get to work. And what a sight it was. Prompto laid down flat on his stomach, eye-level with Ardyn’s dick. The younger man watched that cock bob excitedly in front of his face for a few moments. It seemed to make him happy. After a minute of that, Prompto rubbed his cheek against the underside of Ardyn’s cock—baby-soft skin against the throbbing vein there. 

“Oooh…that’s nice…” Ardyn admitted, leaning back farther as his body gave in to the pleasure.

“You ready for this, big guy?” Prompto teased quietly. 

Ardyn nodded. “Quite ready, my dear.” He had to admit, it satisfied him on a personal level that a boy as young and attractive as Prompto would be interested in sucking his dick. Actually, it satisfied him quite a bit, more than he would ever admit out loud to anyone—

Prompto bent down. He pressed his nose into the side of Ardyn’s cock and inhaled deeply. 

“Ah…” the MT said on the exhale. “Pretty good…” 

So Prompto liked his smell, did he? Ardyn’s already engorged member filled out a little more, as if preening itself in front of Prompto. Clearly encouraged by the compliment.

Sticking his tongue out first, Prompto lapped the tip with tiny licks that sent whole body shivers all through Ardyn. That velvet-soft tongue…oh that tongue could probably drive a grown man insane. And it probably would now.

Perking up after savoring the taste, Prompto wrapped his mouth around the full head of that cock. Because of his girth, Ardyn stretched Prompto’s lips wide, and it was fucking obscene but so beautiful. The blonde’s eyes closed in reciprocal pleasure as he bobbed his head up and down on the tip for a few moments.

Ardyn threw his head back. He couldn’t watch anymore. He was slowly losing control of his extremities at the expert way Prompto’s mouth took him. His hands were twitching and his toes curled in on themselves. 

Suddenly he felt fingers on his face. Ardyn opened his eyes and was met the unprompted, breathtaking sight of Noctis right in front of him. Eye to eye. Before he could say anything, Noctis was kissing him. 

Kissing Noctis was new. He had not experienced the prince’s mouth yet. And it was…well, hard to describe it as anything but a revelation. The prince’s mouth was a fraction the size of Gladiolus’s, but his lips were shaped in such a way…they fit perfectly against Ardyn’s own lips. He could taste Noctis—salty and fresh like sea water, back when Ardyn used to be able to swim in the ocean—and feel the young man gliding over his lips with brazen lust. 

He never wanted to stop kissing Noctis.

Ardyn raised a hand and gently cupped the prince’s face. His mind was strangely silent—the daemons were quiet, everything inside of him was still. The only thing he knew in that moment was that he adored Noctis and wanted to shower him with affection. 

Then, Prompto slid Ardyn’s cock all the way down his throat. And Ardyn screamed into Noctis’s mouth. 

This time Noctis held onto Ardyn, keeping him in place with a tight hug around the older man’s torso. It was strangling, in way. The pleasure of Prompto deep-throating him combined with the gloriousness of Noctis’s embrace…Ardyn wanted to twist away because it was almost too much. 

Noctis pulled away for a moment. “Rock your hips up into him,” he instructed, whispering in Ardyn’s ear. “He’ll like it, trust me. And it’ll feel amazing.” 

Incapable of arguing, Ardyn followed Noctis’s directions. He thrust his hips upward, shoving his cock deeper into Prompto’s throat. He felt Prompto moan around his dick, as aroused as he would be (Ardyn imagined) if you bent him in half and fucked him in the ass. Oh, that was so hot, picturing that scene and then imagining what the three of them must look like at this point: Ardyn wrapped in Noctis’s arms, Prompto on his stomach with Ardyn’s full dick stuffed down his throat. 

Noctis nibbled playfully against the sensitive skin on Ardyn’s neck. That light sensation was enough…Ardyn felt himself being dragged towards the edge…

“N-Noct…!” he groaned, wrapping his own arms around the prince in return. 

On cue, Noctis bit down hard at the juncture of Ardyn’s neck and shoulder. Like flipping some sort of private, filthy switch inside of the immortal, Ardyn came. He shot hot bursts of his essence down Prompto’s throat—the gagging reflex he got in response only adding to his peak. 

All sort of sensation left him for a moment. He was in the dark for almost a full minute as he came down from that harsh orgasm. 

When his senses returned, Ardyn found that he was lying flat on his back again. Noctis kneeled by his side. His blue eyes were clouded with worry. 

“I’m…alright…” Ardyn huffed. He was panting, though. His limbs felt shaky when he tried to sit up. 

The daemonic presence within him was agitated. He could tell that much. They were irritable. Chomping at the bit again, as if they wanted to make themselves known. Ardyn needed to use all his strength to force them retreat further down inside of him. He broke out in a sweat due to the exertion it took to accomplish that. 

“Are you ready for the next round?” Gladiolus murmured, kneeling expectantly between Ardyn’s legs. 

The chancellor shook his head with an incredulous laugh. They thought he could do more after that? How vigorous did they think an old man like him was?! 

“If you want any more out of me…” Ardyn said between breaths. “You’re going to have to wait until tomorrow. Or maybe…next week sometime…” Seriously, the more time the better. He would need a long rest to get over that boy’s searing hot throat and Noctis’s sweet mouth. 

Ignis waved a cup in front of his face. The same one from earlier. “Here, drink this.” 

Ardyn blinked at the liquid. It smelled like water, and Ardyn was admittedly very thirsty. He nodded and wrapped his lips around the cup, letting Ignis pour most of the drink into his mouth. No taste, just like water. Except with a strangely earthy aftertaste.

Once he finished, Ardyn laid back down. He should probably indulge in a few hours of sleep now. He normally never slept—did not need to, being immortal—but sometimes when he was tired enough it still felt good…

A pulse of something distantly warm thrummed through his stomach. Ardyn groaned at the sensation. That _heat_ …whatever it was, he felt it lodged deep inside of him. It stayed there and then it slowly spread, reaching up into his chest to make his torso flush red, then down into his legs. Over his cock and making him…

….Hard? How was that possible? The daemons…? But no, the daemons were shrieking now inside of him. Screaming in rage and most definitely fear.

What was this? A tremor of pleasure wracked across his body. It felt _so good_ but at the same time, he felt terrified. The daemons’ consciousness was becoming a jumbled mess of sounds and desires and that…had not happened since the beginning. Since before they had formed a collective unit, way back thousands of years ago… But somehow now that cohesiveness was fracturing. They were becoming singular again—and that was bad because Ardyn did not know if he could contain so many singular daemons inside of him when he was feeling…like this…!

“Ah…ha…” Ardyn moaned as the unstoppable pleasure broke out into every corner of his body. He was once again as stiff as ever, fully at attention. 

He looked around helplessly at the four men around him, at a loss for what was happening to him. They, however, seemed to be expecting this. What…? 

The earthy taste of that drink bubbled up into this throat again. Ardyn twisted in pleasure. The warmth inside of him turned into molten heat as he withstood that taste.

…Ah. The immortal glared at Ignis in accusation. “What…was in that drink…?” he demanded.

“Calm down.” Ignis spread his hands across Ardyn’s chest. Those hands were cool to the touch and the sheer sensation of physical touch made Ardyn moan again. 

Fuck, his body was becoming one big pile of nerves, wasn’t it? Ready to be plucked like the strings on a guitar? 

White noise from the daemons short-circuited any further thoughts.

Ignis rubbed his hands into Ardyn’s chest, gently massaging his pectoral muscles. “Relax. It was a just a mild…well, moderate aphrodisiac. It should only last an hour or so.” 

An hour?! Despair coiled around Ardyn as he realized he would have to stay like this for at least an hour. He knew—Archaeons above, he just knew—he would not be able to contain the daemons like this. What would he become once they held sway over him…?

Once that fear gripped his heart, Ardyn’s body rippled with darkness. 

“Here it comes…” Gladiolus warned. “Iggy told us about this part.” 

“Indeed.” Ignis straightened his glasses. “Brace yourselves…” 

_You fucking scumbag piece of shit bitch cunt asshole muck at the bottom of the earth…!_

“No…no…no…”

It was no use fighting them. The daemons were a dark haze of anger and hatred at this point. Ardyn couldn’t control them anymore. 

Breaking the last holdout of his will, Ardyn’s features twisted into the face of a daemon. His head was almost a complete skull—with his unique crimson hair still intact. Dark patches spread around his eyes and in the hollows of his cheeks. Eyes unnaturally yellow. He looked…like death incarnate. Bones and blue skin glowed all over his body. Thick black smog rose over his flesh like a curse. 

“…Is that it?” 

The King’s Shield sounded, by all accounts, unimpressed. Ardyn snarled—his voice lost to the inhuman grunts of the daemons—and tried to lash out at Gladiolus.

Noctis and Ignis held onto Ardyn’s arms, one on each side, locking him down against the ground. That only enraged the daemons further and Ardyn thrashed against their grip, kicking out with his feet. Gladiolus withstood the kicking, Ardyn’s feet glancing off the Shield’s torso like rain on a windshield. Then Gladiolus pushed Ardyn’s legs apart and settled down in between the man(?)’s thighs. 

“That all you got, daemons?” Gladiolus smirked and shook his head in disappointment. “Gotta say, I kind of expected more.” 

“Yeah, it’s really not all that. Once you get past the whole…skull-face…part…” Prompto added. He was standing a few feet away with his gun trained on Ardyn.

Ardyn’s form screamed at Gladiolus wordlessly. Copious amounts of saliva flew out of his mouth, but that was about it. 

“Well, whatever.” Gladiolus sucked two fingers into his mouth, then pulled them out with a wet pop. “I’m still gonna fuck you. Not that I love the idea of fucking you when you’re like this, but…this ain’t really you, is it?” 

Heedless of the daemons’ snarls and cries, Gladiolus pressed his fingers between Ardyn’s cheeks and against his tight entrance. He brushed that puckered hole with both fingers, coaxing it to relax. 

In stark contrast, Ardyn’s form struggled with inhuman might against Noctis and Ignis. The two men needed to use all their strength to hold him fast (especially Noctis, whose face went red with exertion), but they got the job done. The daemons screamed so loud his voice became unintelligible, just a mess of sounds. His head shook from side to side with unnatural speed. 

But Gladiolus paid them no mind. “Might as well give up,” the Shield said to the daemons, tracing circles over Ardyn’s entrance. “You’re not gonna like it in there once I make this guy feel good.” 

With that, he pressed the tip of his finger into Ardyn’s yielding hole. Once he was in, Ardyn’s body went completely still, like all the energy drained out of him at that one point. They waited for a moment. Then Ardyn’s skin paled and his features evened out. 

He became human again, if just for a little while. 

Ardyn’s consciousness returned. It felt like a being dunked in ice cold water. He gasped for breath and looked around, realizing he was being held down by Ignis and Noctis. He recognized Gladiolus between his legs and could even feel something…a thick finger, maybe…shallowly inside him. 

“I…” the immortal began. “I don’t…know…what’s going to happen…” And that was true. He really had no idea.

“We do,” Noctis assured him immediately, determination set in his eyes. “We’re going to drive them out. Once and for all.” 

“Tell us how you’re feeling, quickly,” Ignis demanded. “Tell us what you’re desiring right now, so we can carry this through to the end.” 

“I…I want…” 

Ardyn’s mind was muddled. At best. Looking at it objectively, Ardyn was barely capable of thought at this point. He knew only what his body was feeling. And he was torn in two completely opposite directions. On the one hand, the daemons were screaming—louder than ever—that Ardyn needed to stop this. To fight them off. They were terrified and that terror resounded through Ardyn in turn.

But on the other hand…Ardyn’s human body was begging to be touched. The aphrodisiac was working its way through his system hard, making him hyperaware of Gladiolus’s finger inside of him, of every glancing breath against his skin. He wanted—oh he _wanted_ —from somewhere deep inside of himself. He wanted to be fucked. He wanted these men… He wished more than anything that they would just take him already! 

Ardyn writhed in indecision. He was probably going to die here. No way his body could survive this one…

With no answer, Gladiolus just grunted a short chuckle. “Well, it don’t matter. Just take it easy, alright? Let me take care of this.” Hooking both hands underneath Ardyn’s knees, Gladiolus hoisted Ardyn’s legs high into the air. “I’m gonna fuck you good. You hear that?” 

Yes. Yes! That!

Decision made for him, Ardyn gave himself over to the strong thrum of pleasure overriding all other sensations. 

“Yes…Gladio…yes, do it! What are you waiting for…?” Ardyn even lifted his legs higher in invitation. (He usually only bottomed on rare occasions, but right now his typical predilections were scattered to the wind.)

“Heh. That’s what I thought…” 

Gladiolus lined up his cock. With one thrust of his hips, he plunged his length deep inside Ardyn’s waiting body. The immortal threw his head back and howled—an entirely human howl this time. 

It was a difficult fit, at first, because Gladiolus had not prepped Ardyn that well. So the Shield just gently rocked back and forth for a bit. Slowly, inch by inch, he carved out a space for his dick inside of Ardyn. When there was room, he bottomed out inside the older man, buried up to the hilt.

Whether it was because of the aphrodisiac or because of the intensely arousing atmosphere that had been building around them this whole time, Ardyn lost himself to the pleasure. Gladiolus’s thick, burgeoning length was stretching him open as far as he could go. He felt impossibly full, could feel that cock rubbing against every inch of his inner walls.

His toes curled, and his eyes rolled back in his head. This sex…getting fucked like this was…too good. Way too good…too much…

That molten lava pleasure roiled inside of him. Ardyn didn’t know if he was talking or making sounds, but he knew suddenly that his voice hurt from shouting.

“Damn…” Gladiolus said, grunting behind clenched teeth. “You’re pretty tight for an old man…” 

Ardyn could hear him. He felt himself distantly smiling at that quip, but he was beyond words at this point. Gladiolus drove his hips in and out of the immortal, and with each thrust Ardyn’s limbs felt more and more numb. 

He was going to die. For sure. His brain was melting into a thin paste that was going to drip out of every orifice of his body… 

_Motherfuckers, motherfuckers…Son of a…!_

The daemons unfurled again, this time with a vengeance. They preyed on even the slightest bit of fear, Ardyn realized. Because they themselves were afraid for their own existence. 

That meant…

It meant that he needed to stop being afraid, Arydn realized. He needed to trust these four (admittedly crazy) men around him with his own life. He needed to give himself over to whatever they would give him. And he needed to hope that this would work—

There. In a distant, dusty, barely touched corner of his mind, Ardyn remembered a long lost feeling. 

Hope. A pinprick of light against the sea of blackness that was his torn inner self. So small and fragile, but it was there. He reached out with his mind and felt for Gladiolus, Ignis, Prompto, and Noctis. When he felt their presence, the light grew bigger.

With them there, he could concentrate on just that small bit of light. Cling to it and hope that he would get through this. 

Ardyn was shifting rapidly between his daemon and human forms. The four other men could see how he was twisting in clear pleasure as a human, but as a daemon it looked like pain. 

“Just leave!” Noctis cried, getting fed up everything. All of the implications that hung around the daemons, the fact that this fallen king had been plagued with such filth for so ridiculously long. “Get out of here! Leave him alone!”

Gladiolus, meanwhile, was close to coming. He knew without a doubt that he would be able to come like this (which should probably worry him, but honestly, it was so hot and tight inside Ardyn that nothing else mattered. Just that sweet paradise that was Ardyn’s ass…). 

But he was not sure about Ardyn being able to come. And that was the whole point of this. Even when he wrapped one hand around Ardyn’s painfully hard dick, the man kept shuffling between forms. It would be way too difficult for him to actually relax enough to get off like that, right…?

Suddenly, the Shield had an idea. He whipped his head around to face Noctis.

“Noct! Let’s switch places.”

“What…?” Noctis stared back at him, taken by surprise.

“Switch with me,” Gladiolus repeated, trying to still his hips from thrusting too much (but damn, that nectar-sweet ass was calling his name). “I think…I think it has to be you.” 

Realization settled over all of them as they caught up to Gladiolus.

“He’s right, Noct,” Ignis said immediately. He reached out to hold Ardyn’s other arm. “I’ll hold him. Go!” 

Noctis needed only a moment to think. And actually, he wasn’t really thinking. He was staring at Ardyn. He loathed every inch of Ardyn when the man was daemon—everything evil in this world had decided to take up residence and Noctis could not help but hate it. And yet, when Ardyn was human…Noctis almost loved him. That look of desperate pleasure. The way he kept trying to spread his legs wider for Gladio. 

Ardyn was amazing. Noctis wanted to help him, sure, but he also definitely wanted to fuck him. 

“Right.” He nodded once at Ignis in confirmation.

Scrambling to his feet, Noctis came up behind Gladiolus and tapped him on the shoulder. When the Shield felt Noctis touch his back, he knew it was time to pull out. Using all the willpower he had (and damn seconds away from coming), Gladiolus yanked himself out of Ardyn and moved out of the way for Noctis.

“Gladio, right here!” Prompto called, arms outstretched.

Gladiolus ran straight to Prompto and the smaller man engulfed him in his thin arms. “Gotcha, buddy,” the blonde muttered in Gladiolus’s ear. Grunting in recognition, Gladiolus let Prompto wrap both hands around his cock and stroke him to completion. 

Meanwhile, Noctis unbuckled his pants and pumped his own cock a few times to prepare for actually fucking Ardyn. He could tell from Gladiolus’s face that it was going to feel good…and he wanted to be ready. To do this right. 

Aware that he was suddenly empty, Ardyn looked around wildly. He needed…he needed it! Or else, he didn’t know if he could…!

Then he saw Noctis between his legs. Oh. Oh…yes. He could feel the prince’s (no, the _king’s,_ he would correct himself now) cock brushing his entrance, already sliding in because Ardyn was so open. 

“Noct…” Ardyn called, voice sounding high and weak. “Noct…please…do it. I…I need you…inside of me…please!” 

Noctis nodded at the fallen king. “I’ve got you,” he said. Then he drove his cock home. 

Finally connected, Ardyn’s mind went blank. His vision was engulfed in white—for once, a blinding light instead of disorienting darkness. He could feel Noctis sliding right up against his prostate, magically hitting the immortal’s sweet spot on the first try. Noctis wasn’t as big as Gladiolus, but he was so…precise. And that light….a tangible pleasure…

The light filled every crack and crevice of Ardyn’s body. It chased out the daemons wherever they were hiding. Every single one. 

Noctis fucked Ardyn slow and deep. (He could see why Gladiolus was having so much trouble, this felt better than anything Noctis had ever experienced before.) He knew he was ramming into the older man’s sweet spot. He could tell by the tremors that started in Ardyn’s feet and moved slowly up the immortal’s body, until Ardyn was crying out Noctis’s name with complete abandon.

Looked like neither of them were going to last long.

“Let go…” Noctis growled. “Let go of him. He’s not yours anymore. He’s mine…” 

One flash of that (now familiar) daemonic face. With an inhuman cry, shadows rushed over all of them, like strong gusts of pitch black wind. Ardyn climaxed, wetness spilling over him and Noctis in the darkness. Noctis closed his eyes and let himself come too. He suddenly knew that everything was going to be alright, that this darkness was just a fleeting nightmare in the vast sea of life—and he knew that coming inside Ardyn would probably be okay too. 

When he was finished pounding his climax into Ardyn, Noctis collapsed on top of him. They both lost consciousness at the same time. 

Slowly, the shadows disappeared. They crept away by the light of the moon that had now risen high in the sky. 

___________________________________________________ 

“Noctis. Noctis. Come now, it’s time. Are you alright…?” 

Noctis was aware of someone gently shaking him. He could feel a warm body in his arms. Instinctively, he knew that was Ardyn (he didn’t know how his unconscious mind was so certain, but he just was). So, he tightened his grip around the older man and slowly opened his eyes.

Ignis stared down at him. The advisor’s eyes widened with relief when he realized Noctis was waking up.

“He’s awake,” Ignis called to the others. They hurried over, dropping breakfast plates to the ground in their haste.

Noctis sat up slowly, not letting go of Ardyn. It was morning. Already? He vaguely remembered it being almost night when he…

In a flash, Noctis remembered everything. He looked down at Ardyn, checking to make sure that the man was still alive first. Sure enough, Ardyn was breathing with the even tempo of a sound sleep. His eyes were closed (still unconscious), but he looked…lighter, somehow. He still had the same flabby middle-aged body, but there was…something different about him. 

Noctis would swear that this man looked more human. But he could not describe the details in words.

The smell of cooking breakfast wafted towards Noctis. He realized suddenly that he was really, really hungry. His stomach growled is it recognized the scent of Ignis’s food. He also realized there was a blanket around his shoulders, covering his and Ardyn’s bodies. 

“What…happened…?” Noctis asked blearily, shaking his head to clear it.

“You passed out,” Prompto explained. “There were all these shadows…you guys came all over the place…and then, you fell right asleep! We didn’t want to, uh…mess with you or anything.”

Then came the realization that Noctis was still inside Ardyn. His dick had not dislodged itself. 

For some reason, that made the prince feel bashful. In spite of everything they had just been through, Noctis was worried that he might be intruding on Ardyn’s privacy. (Really, the thought that he had slept a full night _inside_ of someone was a little…) So he pulled out carefully, right away. It made more than a little bit of a mess.

“Thanks for everything, guys,” Noctis said, looking around at his group. He gestured toward the blanket and then to Ardyn. “I mean…did we pull this off?”

They looked at each other warily. 

Ardyn, from where he lay sleeping, was aware right away of a difference. For one, his ass felt empty and that was…mildly disturbing, for some reason. He also felt wet in places that were not usually wet. Sweaty and naked. 

And tired. Not the usual bone-weary tiredness that had been following him around for millennia, but a new kind of tired. Like, sleepy. As in, he wanted to go back to sleep. He had not felt this way since…? 

The man opened his eyes. Sunlight hit him right away and he braced for impact, like always. …Only this time, there was none. The sun hit his eyes and washed over his face, but it did not hurt.

It couldn’t be. Ardyn jolted awake, confused. His heart pounded in his chest—oh. His heart. There it was. He inspected his hands and could feel the steady pulse of blood all throughout his body, un-muddled by the usual smog that made all physical sensations feel kind of distant.

Taking in his surroundings, Ardyn saw the faces of the four young men he had gotten to know so well. They were staring at him. When his eyes fell to Noctis, all his memories came rushing back. Noctis…Noctis had…they all had…

Ardyn sat up quickly. The blanket fell from his shoulders, exposing his bare chest. Shit, here he was naked in the sun—! But it still didn’t hurt. 

Quite the contrary. His skin seemed to revel in the feel of sunlight washing over his body. Ardyn turned his face to the sky and took a deep breath. Sun. Clean air. Nature. He sensed all of these things without any pain. He listened inside of himself for the biting anger that was sure to follow—

Silence. 

He listened again. 

Silence. There was nothing inside of him now except the steady beat of his heart.

Whoa…whoa. Ardyn gasped and a streak of fear trickled through him. He felt painfully lonely all of a sudden—he had gotten used to the sound of consciousnesses dueling for dominance inside his body for so long that now, in their absence, he was…so lonely he thought he might collapse.

Then he felt a warm arm around his shoulder. Noctis quickly wrapped him in an embrace.

“Are you okay?” the prince asked quietly, smoothing down Ardyn’s ruffled red hair in the back. “You’re not hurt, right?” 

Ardyn breathed a sigh of relief. Noctis’s presence washed over him, beating back the loneliness that had just threatened to overtake him. He could smell Noctis’s wonderful scent. That sea-breeze saltiness unique to him. And, a little bit, he smelled like Ardyn himself. Surely from having spent the night together. 

“Yes. I’m…alright…” Ardyn said hesitantly, returning Noctis’s embrace and pulling little farther away.  “It’s…quiet.” He wanted to explain more, but he hardly knew what to say. “I can’t…hear them. At all.”

It sounded bizarre surely, but the rest of the group nodded as if they understood.

Ardyn looked at the faces of all the young men around him. Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto. He remembered all the things these young men had done for him. Everything…and then, even more. 

“…Thank you,” Ardyn breathed, slowly. The sincerity of those words felt strange on his tongue. But then, everything kind of felt strange right now. Too real. “All of you…thank you…” 

Without waiting to be asked, they surrounded him. All of a sudden, Ardyn found himself in the center of a five-way hug. It was all bodies and smells and warmth. Comfort. It was the most comfort Ardyn had experienced in two thousand years. Easily. Possibly even longer than that.

When they pulled away, the others began making comments to each other.

“Well. This is one we can’t explain to the generations to come.” Gladiolus sniffed and laid himself down on the other side of Noctis. “Like, I don’t want to tell my grandkids that I fucked the daemons out of some guy.”

“Why not?!” Prompto cried. “That’s badass!”

Gladiolus continued as if the blonde hadn’t spoken. “So. I guess we just tell everybody…what, that the Scourge healed itself?” 

“I think people will believe that,” Noctis replied sarcastically.

“Gotta hand it to that Pious King, though,” Prompto quipped. “I really respect his methods. Dude had style.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis put in. 

The advisor adjusted his glasses and regarded Ardyn seriously. He took the man’s pulse and gave him a perfunctory first-aid examination. For now, everything seemed sufficient. He advised that they would need to closely monitor Ardyn for the next few months to make sure that no daemons were leftover. And that none came back. 

“How are you feeling, otherwise?” Ignis asked sincerely, running a hand over Ardyn’s bare shoulder.

“I feel…” Ardyn felt many things. Sleepy, warm, nervous, exhilarated, joyful, and a little scared. But most of all…

“I feel free.”

 

~End~ 

**Author's Note:**

> Lol, never knock the bookish ones. We're the real sex perverts (I feel you, Pious King). 
> 
> So...I kind of like this version of events better than the game's. Even though this is much sillier. But what's wrong with a little silliness, am I right? 
> 
> Yevon bless this fandom.


End file.
